TikTok prankster Heston Cobb arrested in Arizona after viral stunts disrupted local businesses
The Tempe Police Department arrested Heston Cobb, 21, on Thursday after they linked him to social media accounts posting videos of the pranks and identified him as the leader of the group involved.
Cobb was booked on one count of third degree burglary, two counts of criminal impersonation, five counts of disorderly conduct and five counts of criminal trespass.
It was not immediately clear whether Cobb is in jail or whether he has legal representation.
From March to July, businesses reported to police instances of a group of men who entered their stores dressed as employees, police said.
They "began seriously disrupting their businesses by entering employee-only areas and refusing to leave when asked," the police statement said.
According to police, one man was identified in these instances as the "leader" of the group and instructed the others to begin "working."
Some of the viral videos show this in action. In one video, a man can be heard telling employees at Chipotle that he was called in to "clean house" because their portion sizes have been "lacking."
He then makes a phone call to call in his troops, who then begin haphazardly "cleaning" the restaurant and attempting to enter the employees-only area behind the counter as the store's manager calls the police.
Other stores in Tempe that were pranked include Pep Boys, Hyland Auto Repair, Big Brand Tire & Service and Jiffy Lube, police said.
It was not clear if any of the other men were identified or arrested.
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